tale

noun

ˈtāl 

1

a

: a usually imaginative narrative of an event : story

b

: an intentionally untrue report : falsehood

always preferred the tale to the truth

—Sir Winston Churchill

2

a

: a series of events or facts told or presented : account

b(1)

: a report of a private or confidential matter

dead men tell no tales

(2)

: a libelous report or piece of gossip

3

a

: count, tally

b

: total

4

obsolete : discourse, talk

Synonyms

• canard
• story
• whisper

Examples of tale in a Sentence

The movie is a stirring tale of courage.

We listened to his familiar tale of woe as he talked again about the failure of his marriage.

He told us thrilling tales about his adventures as a pilot in the war.

Are you telling tales again? Or is that the truth?

Recent Examples on the Web

The revelation of Izzy and Ferd’s son is sketchy; a suicide tale lacks a set-up or point; intriguing female bonds are underwritten; and all-too-familiar tropes associated with spousal violence weaken the work. —Frank Rizzo, Variety, 13 June 2025

If your job has been affected, or fear automation may come next, this isn’t a cautionary tale. —Andrew Fennell, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025

But Stone saw no such break, his crack and coke habits held up as cautionary tales. —Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 12 June 2025

Ratnam, working from a story by Haasan, sets up a familiar but resonant tale of father and son. —Anupama Chopra, HollywoodReporter, 12 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English talu; akin to Old Norse tala talk

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Phrases Containing tale

• fairy tale
• old wives' tale
• spin a tale
• tale of woe
• tale-teller
• tall tale/story
• thereby hangs a tale

Rhymes for tale

• ail
• ale
• bail
• baile
• dail
• fail
• flail
• frail
• gael
• gail
• grail
• hail

Kids Definition

tale

noun

ˈtā(ə)l 

1

: something told

a tale of woe

2

: a story about an imaginary event

a fairy tale

3

: a false story : lie

4

: a piece of harmful gossip

spread tales about us